Nedelyne had never known what to think of Sabal. This was no different, the amber-eyed girl standing before her with a face dripping blood and a snake whip twisting and moving docilely on her belt. These were wounds easily recognizable to any priestess, from a strike of the same weapon.

It had House Kenafin's symbol on it.

"Your ear lost its point," the priestess in training said cautiously, unable to read her companion's emotions. "I do not think I can repair that. But I can heal the rest without a scar."

"Leave it," Sabal said with a shrug as she strode into the room they shared. Her movements were precise, fluid, despite the burning pain she felt. She paused at the basin and carefully began to clean her wounds with a soft cloth wetted in the bowl. "I want it to scar."

"A strange decision. It will mar your face, you know," Nedelyne said, relaxing slightly. Her eyes, however, were still fixed on the whip as if hypnotized. What kind of warrior can do that? What kind dares to? A shiver of fear coursed down her spine. If she can take down Sinjss, she could do the same to me.

"Should I care? Beauty has never been my strong point. Besides, it gives you more of a chance with the males. Someone has to be the pretty one," the amber-eyed drowess said casually, turning back. There was a hint of a faint smile. The gesture was a disarming one, a sincere one. Despite herself, Nedelyne calmed down. It was rare for Sabal to lie when she deigned to show emotion, as if she was used to the world being able to read her thoughts when they were shown. Why lie, then?

"Going more for the dark and dangerous look, then? It works for you. Probably because you took that little plaything off a very talented and very vicious priestess. Care to share the juicy details?"

This earned another sort of shrug. "She confronted me. Lost her nerve. I won."

Nedelyne gave a dramatic sigh and flopped down on her bed. "We are going to have to work on your definition of juicy. Honestly, Sabal, if you didn't make me look so good, you'd bore me away from you." Curiosity was still very much evident on her features however—she was hard to satisfy with such a bare-bones explanation. "Is she going to try and get even with you?"

"No. And if she forgets, I have a reminder," Sabal said, taking a seat on her own bed across from Nedelyne's. "Her pride is checked. That is all that matters."

"I see. Well, if I ever get too arrogant to stand, just slap me instead of whatever you did to her. I'm thin-skinned. And my face is too pretty to mess up," the cleric said, well aware of the boundaries that limited their conversations together. It was time to change the subject, lest she lose her partner in conversation. "Alystin is an asset. When you went off, I put her through her paces in the training room. Excellent arcane caster, even with short or silent preparations. You should drill her."

"You plan upon recruiting her?" The amber-eyed girl arched her eyebrow in a delicate expression of skepticism.

"As much as I like having all the glory, I like winning a lot more. Knock out everybody else, then duke it out amongst ourselves."

Sabal made a sound low in her throat that suggested she was considering it, then laid back on the bed. "You really think she's good enough?"

"She's just unseasoned, Sabal. You can round her out quickly, I'm sure of it," Nedelyne promised.

There was a long silence before the wilder made a noise of assent. "We'll see in the morning."

The novice priestess grinned. "I knew you'd do it!"


The next morning, almost imperceptibly, people moved out of Sabal's way. There was a great deal of respect from many for being able to overcome Sinjss. But there was also fear, particularly from her allies. Like a shark sensing blood in the water, she could almost taste it. Crackling white anxiety that jumped from thought to thought, spreading like a wildfire among the powerful. A commoner with no house to call her own was suddenly a threat upon the radar.

Xullae would be proud.

Was this how her mentor had always felt, the power that coursed around her endlessly repelling most of the city's occupants. There was comfort in the space, but also solitude. Sabal could see the hesitation in people's faces, as if they were unsure of what to make of her. She dared them to cross her path or turn challenging eyes towards her with her own amber gaze. Without fail, they looked away. Little had spread of the truth, but the whispers that had were enough to make people nervous.

Not that they had not already begun to realize there was more to her than met the eye. Sometimes it was surprising how perceptive people could be. But then again, they were drow. It was only to be expected.


"Just unseasoned my ass!" Sabal barked, bearing her teeth at Nedelyne. "She's never had to use that staff as anything but a pretty stick that makes lights! She flinches whenever someone raises a hand!"

The novice priestess made a pacifying gesture. "Now, now, Sabal, not everyone can be as skilled and as good looking as I am. You can teach her out of it, can't you? Or are you not equal to the task?"

It did mollify the amber-eyed girl slightly. "Well, if this whole noble business doesn't work out for you, you certainly have a promising career as a merchant ahead of you. I wouldn't be surprised if you could sell a burnt rat on a stick to a noble gourmand."

Nedelyne applauded for herself in a light and probably silly way. "Thank you, thank you. Now go work with her before she starts to think we hate her. Might as well get started now if it really is an uphill battle."

Sabal nodded sternly and returned to a bruised Alystin who was picking herself up off the ground. The wilder's expression settled back into her normal calm, albeit a bit stony, demeanor. "So you really haven't done this before, then? Not even at Sorcere?"

"They were more concerned with me learning how not to light the tapestries on fire," Alystin said through gritted teeth. She didn't admit to pain, which had impressed the wilder more than she let on. Any sign that a noble wasn't soft was a good one. "And my sisters preferred their fights to be very one-sided."

Explains the flinching. "At least you haven't formed any bad habits," Sabal said in a tone that suggested she was attempting to be encouraging. Her own mentor hadn't really taught her how to do that. "We'll begin with something simple. Guards and defenses. You need to learn these before I start letting you try and attack."

"Am I that bad?" Alystin asked, gingerly touching the hot welt that was rising rapidly on her cheekbone.

For a moment she saw the shadow of a smile on the amber-eyed drowess's face, slightly disturbing the wounds that had just begun the long and slow process of healing. "You're like an old female goblin trying to hit a bat with a broom."

"HEY!"